Old Ghosts New Nightmares
by Inspiration-Without-Motivation
Summary: When a figure comes back from the past, Oliver and his allies are faced with a familiar threat but with much higher stakes and some new players. Set 3 years after season 2 finale. Includes all main characters. Rated T for now but may change to M. Please Review and fav/follow if you like the story it really helps a lot
1. Chapter 1

The hooded figure sat comfortably with his back leaning against the wall of the building. His eyes scanned the street below him though his head did not move. If anyone were to see him they would assume he had fallen asleep. That is if it wasn't for his outfit. The red hood was well known throughout Starling.

While there were still those who thought the hooded vigilantes needed to be behind bars, most of the city had now come to accept and even admire the two figures. The other of course being the green hooded man. Green Arrow and Arsenal were their public names The saviours of Starling City. The modern day Robin Hoods.

Roy smirked to himself. He went from being a street kid to a hero's pathetic sidekick, to an unstable threat to an esteemed vigilante. Roy loved being Arsenal. His smirk grew as he remembered the first time he donned his costume. Not his signature red hoodie with mask three years previous when Slade's super army had sacked Starling. Oliver had given it to Roy shortly after that problem was resolved and it didn't seem a big deal at the time and Roy shrugged if off as nothing.

A noise to his left caused him to spring lightly to his feet and tighten his grip on his bow, ready to defend himself if necessary. Admittedly sitting in a fire escape wasn't the most secure and concealed location but the night so far had held no action and he had a long day. He relaxed once he noticed that the noise came from a window being opened by a building resident, and that the resident was just a little girl.

She too jumped upon being caught unaware and shrank back into the window, her body half in and half out of. Roy smiled and his voice took on a much softer tone than he usually had when out on patrol. He set his bow down beside him before he spoke. "Hello." Noticing that she had not moved, he continued on. "You can come out. I promise I won't hurt you."

"Who- who are you?" Roy noticed her muscles relaxed but she still did not move. Her eyes followed his hand as it moved up to take back his hood, something Oliver would of surely scolded him for. "You probably know me as Arsenal." The girl inhaled sharply at that and she quickly scrambled out of the window. "Wow are you rea-" Roy frowned as she stopped mid sentence. "What's wrong little girl?" he asked. "You're wearing a mask" came the soft reply. "It means you have something to hide.

A smile found its way onto his face again as he slipped the mask off and put his hands out beside him in a 'there you go' gesture. "Is that better?" The little girl could only stare wide-eyed and nod. "Do you mind if I ask you your name?"

"Only if you tell me yours first." "You're a smart kid. My name is Roy." The girl smiled in response and Roy found himself mirroring the action. "My name is Melanie."

"That's a really nice name Melanie. How old are you?" "I'm going to be turning 7 next month!"

Roy smiled at the way she said it with such enthusiasm. "Wow you're getting pretty big then." Her brown locks flew around her face as she nodded repeatedly. "Yup. I'm going to be big and brave like you one day and stop bad guys." "Oh really? Why do you want to do that?"

"That's easy. Its because you're a hero and everyone loves a hero." Roy chuckled at this. The little girl couldn't see it but the smile never really reached his eyes. "But I don't think I'm going to ever be a hero" she continued sadly, looking down and playing with her hands.

"Why not? I bet you would be the coolest hero ever." "My parents wont let me" she sighed. "They say that girls shouldn't be interested in things like that." "Well do you want to know something Melanie?" The little girl nodded and leaned in closer to hear. Her eyes were focused fully on her idol and he couldn't help but feel happy at the sight.

"There's this girl I know, her name is Sara and she is also a hero. Black Canary is what she's called." Melanie's eyes seemed to grow even wider if it was possible and she whispered her question in disbelief. "Really?" "Yup and do you want to know a secret?" Roy made a show of looking around in case anyone was listening and Melanie did the same. "She's stronger than me and always beats me in training. In fact, she has saved me more times than I can count." The look of pure and utter happiness on the young girl's face was the best thing Roy had seen in years. "Would you give her a message for me Roy? Tell her I think she is the coolest person in the whole world and that I want to be exactly like her

when I'm older."

"What happened to me?" he asked, feigning hurt. "You're cool too but not as cool." Roy laughed at the serious face she used. He heard his com beeping and knew it was Felicity calling. "I have to get going now Melanie." "Alright Roy." "I'll see you ar-" the hug caught Roy off guard and he almost fell back. When he had steadied himself he put one arm around the girl and squeezed lightly. "Just make sure you don't get hurt okay?" "I promise." Roy watched her climb back in but called her back as an idea struck him. "Yeah?" "What day is your birthday?" "Its July 13th why?" "I'll come visit you then alright?"

Before she could answer, Roy had slipped off the fire escape and was well out of sight when Melanie closed her window. She knew she was going to have a good birthday this year.

Roy watched as the women turned down the empty street and he stiffened. He figured if there was someone as a witness than the three creeps that were following her from the nightclub she left would leave her alone. Felicity had called him about a 911 call for a corner store robber who killed the clerk. When he arrived the police already had the guy in cuffs so he wasn't needed. He did however stumble over the three men following the girl and decided to keep an eye in case they tried anything.

The girl knew she was being followed and had started walking faster. The attempt was useless as she was wearing heels making her stumble more than once. Soon they caught up to her and Roy decided to don his hood. He couldn't make out the conversation but he didn't really need to once he saw them drag her into an alley right under the building he was on. One of the men had her pinned against the wall and was undoing his pants when Roy decided he had had enough.

The three men jumped back as they heard the bang as the arrowhead collided with the nearby garbage bin. The girl shot her eyes open as she felt the forearm leave her throat and breathed a huge sigh of relief. The three men were looking down the sides of the alley to see who or what had caused the noise.

"Oh shit... guys look at this." The arrow didn't come out on the first tug but the second tug had it dislodged. The man who went to inspect the bin was showing the arrow to his two companions and they could see his hand start to shake as the realization dawned on them. While they were distracted, Roy made his way down the building to land on the ground with a thud. The sound caused four sets of eyes to turn in his direction as he stood up straight and walked over to the woman. "Go out into the street and call 911." The woman nodded and ran to do what she was told. She pulled out her phone and began dialing when she heard one of the men speak.

"Do you want to get your ass beat?" Roy didn't respond but instead turned to face the three men. "Look buddy there's three of us and only one of you." "Yeah and you're not even the Green one."

"Yeah probably just some nobody-wannabee hero." Roy tightened his grip on his bow before dropping it altogether. "Well then you guys must be really worthless." "What the hell you talking about wise-ass?" "Because all three of you re about to get your ass kicked by a nobody-wannabee hero."

'_Too easy_' was Roy's last thought before he had to focus on the fight. Not that he would be tested in any way. Even before being taken in as Oliver's side-kick he probably could of handled these three. He wouldn't of come out of the fight untouched but he most likely would have been the last one standing. Now with three years of proper training from the crime fighting duo of Diggle and Oliver, Roy was an above, above average fighter.

He blocked the first punch with ease and it was the last one the man threw. Roy's opposite arm caught the mans wrist as he spun into his block with his right leg crossing over. The man couldn't hope to block the next two strikes as Roy pivoted his left foot and brought his elbow into the man's ribs. The same elbow shot up and landed on the man's nose, effectively stunning him and bringing tears to his eyes. The cracking sound as his head hit the floor was enough of an indication that he had one less threat to worry about.

"You son of a bitch!" The cry came from one of the other two men as he charged in just like his comrade before him. The third man could only watch as the two men who he knew were his betters in fighting were both put down in less than ten seconds. His gaze lifted from the two unconscious bodies to the very calm and very intimidating vigilante.

"I would think very carefully about your next move. You can either try and resist and end up like your friends here." The hand gesture downwards was unnecessary but Roy thought it a nice touch. "Or you can do the smart thing and let me tie you up without resistance." He waited a moment to let the message sink in. "You don't strike me as a foolish man." The man... boy as Roy could now see had no fight in him as he slumped his shoulders and walked forward slowly and held out his hands. Roy heard a quiet "I'm sorry" come from the being as he finished tying up the trio and let them lean against the wall for the police to come take them.

He was gone before the police had arrived.

"Seems I'm about done for the night... alright Felicity on my way now."

Roy moved to leap of the building to make his way back to the Foundry when a voice stopped him.

"Leaving so soon?" Without thinking, Roy launched into a sideways roll and had notched an arrow to his bowstring by the time he was upright. He was able to notch, locate and aim in the matter of seconds and when he was finished, he found himself looking at a dark clad figure. He frowned as he recognized the figure but struggled to remember where from.

"And I haven't even had my chance at you yet. Such a pity. I was hoping to test your skills for myself. Clearly those three idiots were no match for you. I wanted to see how I, a trained man, like yourself would fair."

"Who the hell are you?" Sizing the man up Roy knew he couldn't under estimate this man. He was as calm as he could be with his relaxed muscles and steady voice. Either he was confident in his abilities or a complete idiot. Roy was taught to assume the former.

"That isn't important right now. What is important however is who you are." Roy didn't know what he meant but kept silent in order for the mystery figure to continue. "You certainly look the part of the vigilante. Or at least his side-kick. You got the hood and the mask. And those weapons don't even look store bought." Roy felt his anger rising as the man continued talking but kept it in check. It was one of his biggest issues when he first took on training and he worked hard to improve his self-control.

"Still, it's the person underneath that matters. You could be some fan boy who knows how to dress up and buy sharp toys."

"Well why don't you find out." Roy released the arrow aiming at the man's leg to immobilize him. He was certainly surprised when the man did a backflip and avoided the arrow. "Well I guess we'll test your marksmanship first then." Roy had little time to react as his opponent sent one of his own arrows flying at him. 'Oliver would be pissed. I didn't even look to see the man's weapons!' Unlike Roy's shot, this one would have been fatal, causing Roy to lean back to avoid death. The man was good. Really good.

They continued this stage of the fight always on the move, never staying in one place for more than a second. Sometimes Roy would roll or dart quickly before firing, hoping to catch his opponent off guard. Each time his shots would deflected, dodged or just a miss altogether. They had each released eight arrows each when Roy's bow was knocked from his hand. He went to go retrieve it but a warning shot that landed a just centimeters shy of his leg caused him to freeze.

"I believe it's one to nothing for me." Roy stood up and clenched his fists in anger at the teasing tone of his opponent. The most infuriating thing however was the fact that while he was slightly out of breath and tense, his opponent was still relaxed and breathing evenly.

"I believe your next tests will be combat. How would you li-"

"Shutup!" The man smirked. "Very well then. Armed combat it is."

Roy's overhand strike with his bow was blocked effortlessly as was his next three strikes. Realizing his strategy of trying to force the man off balance with powerful high attacks was useless, he switched tactics to quick alternating blows. He flicked his wrist quickly and accurately to have the end of the bow come in on all sides and varying heights and targets on the body. These too were either blocked or avoided.

They came face to face one time with their bows interlocked between them. "Not bad kid. But now it's my turn." Roy stumbled as the man pushed back with unexpected strength. A backwards roll and desperate scurrying is what saved Roy from losing the fight. The two handed full body swings were unexpected and deadly. Normally it was a risky attack pattern which could be easily outdone if Roy had been comfortably on his feet but given his stumble and unsure footing, he was helpless.

Looking briefly behind him, Roy could see the edge of the roof was becoming closer and he realized he had to act now. While he thought this person wouldn't kill him or get him too injured, he couldn't take the chance. Acting on impulse, he ducked the next blow instead of moving backwards to avoid it which left his opponent's lower half defenseless. He swung his leg in a wide arc and sent the man sprawling to the ground. The bow slipped from his grasp and Roy was quick to retrieve it.

"One to one." Roy's triumphant smirk fell away as he noticed the man was unaffected by the words. Tossing the bow off of the roof, he moved forward to confront the man was still lying on the ground.

"Alright enough of this. Tell me who you are and what the hell you want." Roy recognized his mistake as the man sent his foot into Roy's groin.

The pain caused his knees to buckle and he sailed forwards into the man's knee. He heard the man get up and move around to his side as he clutched his stomach and fell to his knees, all the fight taken out of him. "And I believe that ends our game. I have to say I'm disappointed. I had hoped you would be better being Roy Harper and all."

Roy's eyes shot open at this and he struggled to rise. Hearing this, the man turned his head to look over his shoulder, eyeing Roy behind his mask.

"How do... how do you know who I am?" His body was screaming at him to quit and just rest but he needed to know who this man was and why he knew his identity. "Because it's my business to know things. It's how you get ahead in this world. Lawyers, politicians, business men... assassins."

Roy's eyes widened and his breath hitched momentarily. He knew he recognized the outfit because he had seen six like it three years previous. "You're part of the League of Assassins." "Hmm... close." Roy saw the man made to leave and he shot to his feet, his anger coming back to him. "Where do you think you're going!? You're going to tell me what the hell you're-" he had been about to grab the man's shoulder when he felt something stab into his stomach. He looked down to see the arrow head of a small projectile into his stomach. He found himself once again on his knees as his hands try to stop the flow of blood from his wound.

"You did fight well... and I give you points for getting back up." Roy tried to focus on the words sensing they were something he needed to hear before he blacked out. "Then I'll tell you this." The man tore Roy's hood down and slipped of his mask before doing the same to himself. "Tell Oliver that there's something big coming his way and that he needs to be prepared. Or else his days as Green Arrow are finished."

Roy's vision was swimming as he titled his head to look at the man ho was speaking. He noticed change in the voice and thought he recognized it. Looking up he knew why.

"You... but how?'' The man smirked before sending a kick to Roy's head. He gathered his belongings and cast one last look at the unconscious body. He knew it wouldn't be the last he saw of him.


	2. Chapter 2

Felicity jumped at the sound of Roy leaping up from the table. Her hand flew to her chest to feel her fast beating heart as she sighed out deeply.

"Next time warn me before you're going to give me a heart attack." Roy was breathing heavily and his grip tightened on whatever makeshift weapon he had grabbed. A hairbrush he noticed. He tossed it onto the table he had been lying on for the past couple of hours with a sigh before sitting on said table and rubbing his hands over his face, stopping to apply pressure to his temples.

"Sorry. I just thought that-" his voice trailed off and he sighed deeply again. "Sorry."

Felicity's expression softened (not that it was exactly hard in the first place) as she stepped forward and placed a comforting hand on the younger man's shoulder. She gave it a light squeeze and his eyes met hers.

"Don't worry about it," she smiled and he gave her a tired grin in return. She stepped away to a pile of clothes and tossed him a plain t-shirt.

Red of course.

"What happened." His tone was both inquisitive and slightly angry at the same time. At the moment, his memory was clouded due to the unconsciousness but he remembered getting beaten, badly.

"We were going to ask you the same thing." Roy turned at the familiar voice as his friend and teammate entered the lair. He was carrying three cups of coffee and handed one to Roy. "Glad to see you're doing better kid."

"Good to see you too Diggle. Where are you coming from." Diggle joined Felicity in leaning against one of the many desks in the lair. She took her cup of coffee and sighed once she brought it to her lips and had a small sip before setting it down beside her.

"Well I was at home. Lyla hates it whenever I'm called to leave because of...business. Felicity called me after she noticed your tracker had stayed in one location after you said you were returning. She tried to contact you after a while and you didn't respond so she asked me to go get you."

Roy nodded along with the story. He smirked slightly as he asked "how bad was it?" Diggle returned his smirk. "You've give and taken worse. Whoever that guy was didn't want you dead but injured." He gave Roy an expectant look letting him know that he was rather interested. Felicity was sharing the same sort of expression. Roy gathered himself before looking to Felicity, more specifically the coffee cup that was in her hand.

"You may want to put that down." Felicity followed his gaze and then scoffed. "Roy, I've dealt with a huge amount of surprises over the last couple of years. I'm sure I can take whatever you're about to tell me."

Roy shrugged his shoulders. "Alright but I'd move over if I were you Diggle. Y'know, just in case." Diggle was about to shuffle over when a glare from Felicity out of the corner of her eye made him stop. He instead crossed his arms over his chest and nodded to Roy, telling him to begin.

He told the story of his patrol and then the three would be criminals. He described the events of the fight, noticing Diggle's frown a certain points. Never one for dramatics, he didn't pause nor waste time with the big reveal.

"When he took the hood off it was an old enemy of ours, well yours. Malcolm Merlyn."

"I should of moved."

Felicity let out what must have been her tenth exasperated sigh in the last ten minutes as Diggle grumbled under his breath. So Felicity did in fact drop her coffee. It happened to land on Diggle's shoe and spill over him while splashing his pant legs. Felicity was now currently washing said pants while Diggle was cleaning up. Roy for his part sat back on the table and watched the scene play out with some amusement. He thinks he, scratch that, _he knows _he would of found it much funnier if it had not come the way it did.

They hadn't said anything about the news yet. Each of them had been silent except for a couple of remarks regarding Diggle's pants and apologies from Felicity which quickly lost their sincerity. He figured the silent mulling over it was necessary. For them at least. Malcolm was never really an enemy of Roy's. Sure he hated the guy for what he did to Starling with the earthquake but he didn't hold the personal experiences with him that Diggle and Felicity had.

It was sort of odd he thought. In a way he sort of owes Malcolm for his current life. If Malcolm had not set off the earthquake machine, Roy never would have had that spark to become a hero. Yes he wanted to help people and make other people's lives better but the desperation of that moment is what made him act. Granted that point could be heavily argued (which he has done with himself countless times) and he would easily trade him being a hero in return for the machine never going off in the first place but still.

"Now what?"

The silence filled the room again as the three pondered Felicity's question. As usual, Diggle was the first to respond.

"Oliver would want to know about this immediately. We should probably send him a message as fast as possible."

"But he's in Gotham right now. And you know how he takes his visits to Gotham. Especially when he isn't going as Oliver Queen."

"I don't think we should tell him." Two pairs of eyes whipped to Roy, urging him to explain. "Well it's just that Malcolm didn't seem threatening."

"He left you unconscious." Felicity pointed out, emphasizing her point by sticking a finger in the air.

Roy wore an annoyed expression at the interruption and Diggle had a blank look on his."Thank you for reminding me of that Felicity." The blonde simply shrugged at Roy's clearly unhappy tone and smiled way too innocently for him to continue. "That was more of a test. Like he said. He isn't going to take any action against us or the city. Not yet anyways."

"So you're saying that we wait until Oliver is back in three days?" Roy locked eyes with Diggle.

"Yeah I do."

"Well are we keeping this a secret?" Diggle was about to respond to the IT girl when he was interrupted by another feminine voice.

"Keeping what a secret?" The now familiar silence resumed once again, only to be interrupted by a heavy sigh from Roy.

"God damnit."

Roy had to keep himself from laughing at Diggle. Laurel had moved to stand over by him and it just so happened that she was drinking coffee as well. The look of pure horror and alarm of the usually stern body guard's face was absolutely priceless. You would never expect such a bulky man to move with such speed away from the brunette.

Felicity for her part just looked extremely unamused by the display. She glared at Diggle once he had situated himself beside Roy at a safe distance from Laurel.

"Umm..." Laurel figured she had missed something and a look at Felicity and Roy confirmed it. Choosing to ignore the scene, she directed her question to Diggle who she had learned was the most mature and focused of the three. "What's this secret you're talking about and," she continued when she noticed Roy about to open his mouth, "if you say nothing I swear you will regret it." A smug smile found its way onto her face when he closed his mouth obediently.

"Roy here was on patrol when he ran into someone who looked a lot like they were a part of the League of Assassins. Felicity called me when he didn't return and I went to get him. He was beaten pretty badly," Laurel glanced to the bandages along Roy's body and saw him shift in embarrassment. "and when he woke up here, he told us that the mystery person was Malcolm Merlyn."

Felicity was slightly disappointed that Laurel didn't drop her coffee. She did however turn a shade paler and stumbled a bit, forcing to steady herself. While the two girls were friends with each other and each genuinely enjoyed the other's company, there was always a little rivalry between the pair. Whether it was their interest in Oliver or the fact that they were both girls they didn't know.

"You're uh... you're absolutely...what?" None of the three blamed Laurel for her reaction. This was the man who had caused the earthquake which killed one of her best friends and lovers since childhood. Laurel found it within herself to move on and not let the depression get to her like it did 10 years previous when she found out that the Queen's Gambit went down. Another thing to fear Malcolm Merlyn for she noted.

"What are we going to do about it?" Her voice only had a slight quiver in it but her eyes which had locked on to Diggle's who acted as leader whenever Oliver was out of town, showed how determined she really was. Diggle was quiet for a moment but then spoke in a soft but firm tone.

"We'll wait for Oliver. Felicity keep the facial scan running on all cameras possible and see where if we can find out where he's staying. I'll contact the Bratva and tell them to be ready for a meeting with Oliver when he returns. Roy, keep to your regular patrol routes and times," he turned now to face the younger man directly. "if you even see Merlyn I want you to call Felicity." Roy nodded and moved to check his gear.

"What about me?" Laurel knew she wasn't one of the big parts of the Team seeing as she helped with the legal matters of cases and the more public activities that Oliver couldn't. "You are going to keep acting on normal so you don't freak yourself out. Also tell Detective Lance about this." Like Roy, Laurel nodded.

"Now if you'll all excuse me, I have a wife to return home to. A rather unhappy and worried one I'm sure."

"You know you can't sneak up on me." Oliver didn't turn his head or body but knew that the other man had heard him. The same way he had heard said man trying to sneak up on him.

"Never could get the drop on the old man either."

The hooded figure stayed silent as the man drew level with him on the rooftop. Neither spoke for a couple of minutes, each in their own private thoughts brought on by the stench that is Blüdhaven. Though not nearly as bad as its northern city of Gotham, Blüdhaven has its own reputation of being notorious. It has gotten a little better due to the arrival of a new costumed vigilante.

"Hoped you would find me here. I learned that sneaking into a vigilante's base of operations is not the best tactic."

At this Nightwing smirked. He remembered Bruce telling him the story of how he found the Green Arrow in the Batcave one day. Safe to say that Batman, knowing who the man was didn't rough him up too much but just enough to get the message across. It had just been a little before Dick himself had quit his role as The Boy Wonder and became his own hero.

"Saw you pass through on your way. You didn't stop here for a night so I figured it must have been urgent." The silence neither confirmed nor denied the statement. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. Not yet at least." Oliver sighed and shifted his bow to his other hand. He reached up and drew his hood back.

"I have this feeling that something big is about to happen. I'm just not sure what. I came up here to see if he's feeling the same or you are," Nightwing was thankful that Green Arrow looked at him as an equal, "or if I'm just being paranoid."

Nightwing was silent. He was debating whether he should share any information with his friend.

"Oliver... I'm not saying that what I'm about to tell you is what you're feeling but it is something big."

"Oliver turned his steady gaze to his companion and nodded for him to continue. Dick drew a sigh before continuing.

"Batman has had dealings with the League of Assassins before. He knows Ra's al Ghul and his daughter Talia even better. They have had a romance in the past. She visits Gotham occasionally for a pleasure visit. These occur every four or so months and if not a visit, then at least a message of some kind. For the last year, there has been nothing."

"So you're saying that either something has happened to her or that-"

"That the League is on a mission."

Both Green Arrow and Nightwing turned in surprise as another figure dropped behind them. They relaxed once they could see who this newcomer was.

"Bruce."

"I don't know what is going on with the League but if they are preparing something, I and Nightwing will be ready. Ra's has expressed his interest in Gotham in the past and it seems that the League has had dealings in Starling as well. I would be prepared for anything if I was you."

"Alright. Thank you. And don't hesitate to call me if you need me." That was directed to the Caped Crusader who only nodded once but Oliver's eyes caught the youngest of the three. Oliver knew Bruce would never call on his help no matter how bad things got. It isn't that Bruce thinks Oliver's skills are inadequate but because he has this mindset that

Gotham is his to protect and his alone.

Without another word, Batman had left, disappearing once he leapt from the building.

The two men left standing on the rooftop shook hands as they usually did before they parted ways.

"Don't hesitate to call if Starling is in trouble either. I know how you dark and brooding vigilantes can be." Oliver's smirked matched his friend's. He donned his hood again and left, leaving Nightwing to watch over his own city.

The sound echoed throughout the room. The repeating _'thud-thud-thud'_ would of been odd to most places and people. But not in this room or to those who find themselves there most nights of the week. The sound had become normal to Felicity who was sitting at her desk (she had her own now) typing away on her keyboard. Diggle was out with his wife and son at a movie while Laurel was busy working on a case at her place. The youngest member of the team was off to the side, away from the tech filled part of the foundry. Shirtless, he struck away at the training dummy. Sweat glistened off of his body as he continued going through the countless combinations that were drilled into him by his mentors over the years.

Felicity's head moved to look at him when she heard a particularly loud thud. Her eyes never saw the impact but guessed what had happened when she saw Roy land back on his feet and pivot back into his stance. She smirked slightly as she remembered the countless times where Roy would try and impress Oliver by changing or adding a move like that, only to end up flat on his back or stomach in defeat.

Another figure watched from the shadows above. They rested lightly on one of the beams high above the floor used for balance sparring or the specific work out routines. A similar smirk found its way onto their face as they too watched Roy. The boy had completed another routine and launched into another one without a second's pause. The stalking figure waited until Roy found his rhythm with the new routine before descending down to ground level. Hardly a sound was made as the intruder dropped into a crouching position once again.

Still in a crouch, the figure stalked forward silently and slowly with no rush. Years of training showed itself as barely a sound came from the footfalls on the floor. Their target was only a couple of meters away still hitting the dummy when they decided to pause. Roy had hesitated. To most they wouldn't have seen it. To most that slight hesitation meant nothing. But to one trained in combat and stealth, the way of the human body as a weapon it meant everything. The hesitation as slight as it was, a single second and possibly less than that even, spoke volumes.

Roy knew something was wrong. If you were to ask him later how he knew, he could not have answered. Perhaps it was a sound that had alerted him but he didn't think so. The figure still crouched behind him knew it wasn't a sound they had made. They didn't make any when they didn't want to. In truth it was Roy's training that had allowed him to sense something was out of place. A warrior's sense Oliver had often called it. The ability to detect something that the eyes could not see or the ears could not smell. A danger that lurked just outside of one's regular senses. It had saved him before in the past and he knew never to ignore it and dismiss it as nothing.

He tensed his muscles a more tightly as he started another combination. He didn't need to focus on his strikes to execute them. His senses instead went to the area around him. He sensed that something or someone was behind him. Deciding to act first, he abandoned his combination and instead used it to his advantage. Without missing a beat, he spun away from the dummy and turned at a ninety degree angle, ready to send a kick either high or low. He stopped short as he saw nothing. No one was behind him. He balanced on his right leg while his left was still in mid air. He blinked twice and shook his head before lowering it and standing normally.

He ran his hand over his face and breathed deeply. "I must be losing it."

He was wrong.

That same sense as before had kicked in again and he managed to turn and block a strike to his body. He was on the defensive however and barely blocked the next two strikes. As a last effort attempt to win the fight, he tried a kick to the legs and punch to the head only to lose his balance. His kick was blocked causing him to falter which in turn made his punch go high. His still unknown opponent took the opportunity and grabbed Roy's wrist and shoulder. He spun the defenseless hero around and kicked the back of his knee causing him to drop. His victor held his arm at an uncomfortable angle behind him while he was on one knee.

His intent to get out of the precarious position was stopped when he heard... laughter. A laughter that wasn't too common in the Foundry but was still easily recognizable. He relaxed his body as the newly revealed man let him go. He rose and turned to see a man who stood a few inches taller than him in all black. He had a sickening thought that he may have been mistaken which was quickly erased as a gloved hand came up and removed the face cover.

"Oliver!"

Felicity came bounding over to the pair smiling brightly. She wondered why they didn't return her smile when she noticed what they were looking at. Her eyes went down to her right hand and she brought it up to chest level, turning it over and examining the item in her hand. She blushed slightly when she noticed Oliver's cocked eyebrow and Roy's questioning glance at her "weapon" of choice.

"I could tell Roy was going to lose and I didn't know who you were so I thought I would help."

"With an… ipad?" Oliver drawled out slowly.

Felicity huffed in annoyance. "Well it's one of the weapons of choice in Clue and someone always died in that," she said as she walked away to return it to her desk.

"You mean the board game?" Felicity spun back around quickly with a large smile plastered on her face. "Yes Roy that's the one. I always loved board games but never really had anyone to play them with. Perhaps we could play one time? All of us have like a Team Arrow Game Night!"

Oliver had a somewhat horrified look on his face which he quickly covered up with a more than slightly strained smile when the excited and bubbly blonde looked to gauge his reaction. Roy for his apart was more easily amused than his mentor and was slightly smiling at his friend.

"Sure thing Felicity. Pick a night and we'll all show up."

His smile turned into a full shit eating grin when he caught Oliver's eye. His usually calm and controlled face now held one of utter shock. He was about to speak when he was cut off by a new voice.

"Sounds like a lot of fun. Count me in." Laurel had entered with a huge smile on her face. Having caught the last part of the conversation, she wanted to tease Oliver. "This place is way too tense all the time with Mr. Vigilante over here," she motioned to and still surprised Oliver, "and it'll do us all good."

"Yeah especially with what happened." Felicity had a habit of mumbling things that Oliver had picked up on over the years. Where most people wouldn't of heard her, Oliver's sharp sense picked up on the quiet voice and turned to its source.

"What?"

Felicity stiffened as she realized her mistake. The team hadn't figured out the best way to tell Oliver about Malcolm's unexpected and equally unwanted appearance. Diggle suggested they all be present for it and just come out and see how Oliver reacted. This was definitely not the way they wanted their leader to find out.

"Felicity."

Laurel and Roy paused as they caught the tone in Oliver's voice. Any traces of lightheartedness that was in the room quickly left as the awkward silence grew. Felicity still hadn't moved or said another word, prompting Oliver to move closer to her and grab her arm lightly.

"Felicity. What happened?"

"I can answer that."


End file.
